Telephone communications technology has been evolving so rapidly that many individuals and businesses presently own multiple communications devices associated with different network types. For example, an individual or business may have a landline telephone that enables calls via a traditional circuit-switched telephone network, a cellular telephone or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device that enables calls via a cellular network, and a personal computer that enables calls over a packet-switched network such as a broadband internet connection.
A variety of problems arise from the multiple devices and network types available to today's telephone users. First, those wishing to contact an owner of multiple telephones may experience confusion as to which telephone number to dial.
Second, multiple devices may be under-utilized or ineffectively utilized. For example, consider a family that owns both a landline telephone and a cell phone. If the cell phone is away from the home or has little or no remaining battery life, a call to the cell phone may go unanswered by family members in the home.
Third, users may have difficulty determining which network will be most cost-effective at a particular time. For example, it may be possible to use a cell phone at no additional cost to the user so long as the user does not exceed a number of prepaid minutes in the cell phone billing plan. However, users may not be aware of how many available “free” minutes remain. It may also be difficult to remember the details of billing plans associated with multiple devices and to quickly and conveniently assess which device and associated network will cost least.
There is a need in the industry to provide additional flexibility to owners of multiple telephone communications technologies.